A Touhou Chinese New Year: Attack on Oni: The Legend of Mei Ling
by Cssz
Summary: Rule (9) of the Internet: "There is a Touhou version of it. No exceptions". None at all, not even the tale of how Chinese New Year came to be...


"Humans... Spirits... Youkai... Oni...

Long ago, the four species lived together in harmony...

Then everything changed when the oni attacked. Only Yakumo Yukari -the youkai of boundaries- could stop them, but when the world needed her most, she vanished...

Over a hundred years have passed since the denizens of Gensokyo faced their new enemy. The difference in power between them and their newfound enemy was truly overwhelming and they were driven to the brink of extinction. The survivors built three walls: the Marisa, the Reimu and the Sanae.

They then lived their lives in peace, under the protection of the three walls - at least the humans and youkai did, as the spirits lived their afterlives instead. The humans lived their lives as farmers, the very foundation of the survivors; supplying the survivors with their daily needs. The youkai served as the soldiers that guard the walls in the case of enemy attacks, acting as the frontline of defence and survival.

The spirits, however, worked as merchants. Confident with their ability to 'survive' this raging war, the spirits were arrogant and treated themselves as the upper class. They looked down upon the others as lesser beings. More often than not, they would laugh at the humans who were forced to work their lives off as the pitiful servants and labourers within the walls, whilst they themselves sat comfortably within the walls, drinking wine and feasting even though food was not a necessity to the spirits.

* * *

"Well, I guess I'm done for today!" said the young farmgirl as she wiped the sweat off her forehead. Her smile grew as she took in a deep breath and walked towards the little hut that stood amongst many others. To most people, all of those huts looked exactly the same -a land of poverty- but to her, that was her own, sweet home.

"Mama, I'm back!" she said as she entered her humble home.

Inside, she was greeted by the sweet, mouth-watering aroma of her mother's cooking. She took her seat at the small table and soon after she was joined by her mother.

"It looks good, Mama," said the young girl with a smile, "as usual!"

"Mama?" she paused and watched the worried look on her mother's face. "Mama, is everything alright?"

"Oh, it's nothing, dear..." the mother replied with a reassuring smile.

"It couldn't be nothing", she thought to herself. That look was genuine; something must have happened...

Shrugging it off as her imagination, the girl finished her meal and thanked her mother with a kiss on her forehead. As she left that day, her mind was filled with that thought itself; that look on her mother's face. Of course she would've said it was nothing; why would her mother want her to worry, right? But she couldn't help but worry anyway, thinking of all the possible things that might have happened.

_Did Mama forget something important? Was Mama sick? Or... maybe... nah..._

Shrugging it off again, she took a seat by her usual spot at the edge of her village. She began her routine daydreams...

"Every day I come here, all I can see is that wall -Wall Marisa- that serves as a boundary between us and the outside world. I've seen pictures of the outside world from books. Its beauty had no boundaries; it stretches out infinitely until it reaches a point where your eyes can see no further, and that point is where the heavens meet the earth and converge into one. They called it the horizon, I think. I would wanna see it for myself one day..."

"Oh, hey there! You're here again today, eh?"

Her daydreams of the outside world were interrupted by the call of a familiar voice.

"Oh, it's you again..." said the girl as she looked up at the young man. He sat down beside her on the fresh, green grass and smiled.

"You come here every day to stare at that wall, huh?"

"No, I come here every day to imagine what lies beyond that wall!" she replied, slightly irritated.

That was their meeting point; the place where they first met and would always meet at that time every day. It was the place he first laid eyes on her and felt his heart skip a beat. It was the place he felt love at first sight. Even though their love was forbidden, he knew it was real. Of course no one would approve of a love between a human and a youkai such as himself, but he knew that one day, if the oni were to attack, he would definitely rush to her rescue and change that old mindset of the people.

At least, that was from his point of view...

All she sees is an annoying and lazy youkai who slacks around all day and comes over to her usual resting spot every day to annoy her.

"Hey..." the boy said as he turned to face her. "Mei Ling, right?"

"What!?"

The girl instinctively pushed the young man away, shocked. "How did you know my name, you sick pervert!"

"A youkai has his ways..." the young man replied with a cheeky grin. "I felt we deserve an official introduction after all... since we meet up here everyday..."

"We? Meet up here!?" the girl grew more frustrated at the youkai. His black hair was just like hers, and any other human she knew. He was definitely in good shape, but he was in no way outrageously muscular, nor did he have any features that she did not. Of course she knew he was a youkai, but he was exactly the same as any other human. That fact somehow made her grow even more frustrated.

"I think we should at least introduce ourselves, Mei Ling. It's common courtesy after all, since we sit here by this tree every single day, do we not?" he said as he reached out for a handshake. "My name is-"

Before he could finish, the ground trembled beneath their feet.

"What's that!?" they both said simultaneously.

From their little secluded spot, the two watched as a pair of hands reached out over the walls and grabbed hold onto it. Slowly and gradually, its terrifying face emerged from beyond the walls; a pair of horns protruded from the sides of its head; from what the survivors would consider their 'horizon', the horrendous creature peeked over and grinned. The monster watched as the survivors were plunged into a state of utter terror, completely stunned until one by one, they began to scream. Its grin grew wider until it cut its face from ear to ear...

That day, the survivors received a grim reminder: that they lived in fear of the oni; disgraced to live like trapped birds, in that cage - that imprisonment they called the walls...

* * *

"It's over..."

"We're all dead!"

"Hahahahaha! What a nightmare, I think it's time to wake up now, isn't it?"

"Oh dear Lord, please, I don't deserve to die yet..."

"Mommy! Mommy..."

Their cries of terror; their pleas for mercy; their prayers to their own gods; all of them went unheard. The oni raised her arms into the air -still smiling- and formed two fists, smashing the wall at full force, bringing it down with ease. The peace that the survivors knew -their peace that lasted a hundred years- came to an abrupt end that very day.

The colossal oni brought up a purple gourd to its face and drank. "Come, my brothers and sisters! It is now time to strike!"

The oni continued to drink from its purple gourd, only to come to a short pause. It lowered the gourd and with its mouth full, it looked down upon the puny survivors as if they were ants to her. From the gap it had formed on the wall, it lowered its head and breathed fire upon the village, turning all in its path into ash.

"Mei Ling, we gotta get out of here!" said the young youkai as they watched from the distance. "We have to leave before _they_ come..."

However, Mei Ling was too shocked, too stunned to even move a muscle. She was trembling like a leaf!

"MEI LING! HURRY UP WE GOTTA LEAVE!" the youkai boy exclaimed once more, before realising they had been approached by an oni...

The oni was tiny compared to the one that scaled the wall, but even then it stood at least twice the size of Mei Ling.

"MEI LING!" the youkai shouted once more, this time bringing her back to her senses.

The young girl got to her feet and fled with him. However, the creature caught up with ease.

"Mei Ling, we have to split up here!" the youkai said, panting. "You go on ahead. It is my job as a youkai to protect the walls! I have devoted my life to protecting the people who live within the walls, and I shall not break my vow! Go on and live, Mei Ling. Just know that I love you..."

Letting go of her hand, the youkai stopped and turned to face the oni. He eyed the oni and prepared a stance, ready to strike at it.

Mei Ling, turning back once more, sees a curb-stomp battle so quick and bloody; so gruesome that she knew would easily throw this story into the M category.

* * *

"No..."

Mei Ling fell to her knees. Her tears streamed down her face as she watched her mother from a distance, grabbed by a male oni, much smaller than the one she had just faced, but equally as terrifying. What happened next, however, was indescribable; all she could remember was that she was left speechless afterwards, eventually cowering into a fetal position.

"Mama... Mama... Mama..."

Her smile flashed through Mei Ling's eyes...

"Mama... Mama..."

All those times they spent together; the bond that they shared...

"Mama..."

Her final scream that pierced the young girl's heart, leaving everything after, mute...

Her vision blurred from her tears and her body would not move anymore. She had lost all control over her body. She couldn't move... not even when it was grinning right at her as it towered over her... reaching out to her, wrapping its hand firmly around her and dropping her into its damp tongue...

Everything after that was darkness...

...

"I told you so..."

_Huh?_

Mei Ling heard a voice and she was certain it was not the one in her head.

"I told them all, but no one wanted to listen..."

"W-Wh-Wh-Who-" Mei Ling stuttered. She paused and took in a deep breath before finally continuing. "Who are you?"

Silence.

"Who are you?" she repeated.

Strange, she could have sworn it was real-

"I was their so-called 'saviour', the 'one everyone needed'," the mysterious female voice replied.

"Saviour?"

The woman snapped her fingers once and then there was light...

Standing right before her, Mei Ling saw a beautiful woman, dressed elegantly, as if she was attending a party of some sort. Her long, blonde hair was neatly tied up into a bun. She looked so perfect, how could she have been eaten by that monster too, she wondered.

And then it hit her.

_Eaten!?_

"Yes, you were eaten," the woman replied.

_Did I think that out lo-_

"No," she instantly replied before Mei Ling could even finish the thought. "I am the youkai of boundaries-"

Mei Ling gasped upon hearing the title. "You're Yakumo Yukari!?"

The woman sighed and gave the girl an annoyed look.

_Wow, the stories were true! She sure is as beautiful as the stories have told. She's just so beautiful and elegant, despite being so old-_

"OLD!?"

_Ooops, I forgot she could read my mind._

Mei Ling chuckled.

"You think it's funny!?" said Yukari. "I am the youkai of boundaries! I can easily kill you if I wanted to!"

She stares into Mei Ling's eyes menacingly. She lets out a loud sigh before continuing, "Sheesh, for a girl who was shocked to be eaten just a while ago, you sure do recover quickly. Is it really that reassuring to know you're speaking to me? And for your information, I don't read minds, I simply read the text in italics..."

"What?" Mei Ling questioned, confused.

"Never mind," replied Yukari. "Anyways..." she coughed and cleared her throat. "I've told them before but they wouldn't listen, now look at them, screaming and fleeing like little children. They're useless! Look at those spirits, thinking so highly of themselves, don't they know those oni can easily destroy them? Those fools believe the afterlife keeps them safe; have they forgotten why they fled in the first place? There is nothing beyond the afterlife. When they die, they fuse with the void itself, they become nothing..."

"Uhm, Miss Yukari?" Mei Ling called out. "May I ask, though, why did you disappear like that when the oni attacked?"

Yukari gave Mei Ling a glare and sighed. "I've told them of the prophecy, that the oni would attack... The prophecy told of their betrayal; their facade and love for peace was merely a delay... till the day the youkai of boundaries fell into hibernation, when the rest of Gensokyo would least expect a war. But no one wanted to believe... believe that day would even come, when that peace would be shattered. And when the truth finally dawns, it dawns in fire..."

Yukari places her hands upon the young farmgirl's shoulders, staring into her eyes. "But, there's one they fear. To them, she is known as the Flame-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter! The Dragonborn!"

Mei Ling's eyes began to glow in the colours of the rainbow; her hair blazed aflame into a burning scarlet.

"Revenge is in your hands now, China..." Yukari said before disappearing into thin air.

This is it, she thought. She could feel the power emanating from within her. She felt brave, like a dragon awakening inside her. With her hands cupped into fists, the young farmgirl begins punching vigorously against the slimy walls of the oni's belly; her now iridescent eyes blazing with wrath.

When her fists finally got her out of the mess, the young farmgirl, otherwise now known as the Flame-Haired Blazing-Eyed Hunter, stomped the ground, creating a shockwave that made even the oni tremble. Her roar made even the oni stop in their tracks.

"YOU!" she exclaimed, pointing right at the giant oni.

"Who? Me?" the colossal oni replied. "I'm Suika~"

With yet another stomp, the girl was able to lift herself off the ground; a power she could've never imagined. She soared in the air, fists outstretched and ready to take the giant oni down. Focusing on her goal as hard as she can, she screamed at the top of her lungs, "THIS IS IT! A SONIC RAINBOOM!"

The shockwave around her caused an explosion, bursting a vibrantly-coloured ring that spread out in the sky, leaving a rainbow wake trailing behind her as she flew.

The girl's sheer might blew a hole right through the purple gourd that was chained onto the oni's wrist, flooding the areas within the walls in sake...

From that day forth, the oni were driven away from the blazing scarlet of the young girl's hair and the loud noises that reminded them of the sonic rainboom that had defeated them. The oni soon sobered up and everybody lived happily ever after!

That day has now become a celebration for the lunar calendar, when the people would dress in red and play with firecrackers to remind them of their freedom that very day; that day is now known as the Lunar New Year...

And that, kids, is why alcohol is bad for you! And it's also how Chinese New Year came to be!"

"Marisa-san!" said Cirno as she raised her hand. "Doesn't that imply that all the humans of Gensokyo are Chinese?"

"Ah, that is a good question, ze~" the black-white replied. "A very smart question coming from you, Cirno. Any other questions?"

"Marisa-san!" Daiyousei the fairy raised her hand. "What was the name of that young male youkai? I find it sad how he dies fighting for the love of his life, but never even manages to escape the friendzone..."

"Friendzone?" the witch raised her eyebrow. "But Mei Ling didn't even know him... then again, he IS just a side character, and a male character at that! Everybody knows that male characters don't play a big role in Gensokyo! After all, there are even female characters that are unnamed, such as yourself! What more males? Haha!" the black-white teased.

"Marisa-san!" this time Rumia, the little ball of darkness called out. "I find the latter half of that story a little rushed and it kinda makes it seem a little off..."

"I don't know, ze~" the black-white replied. "Maybe the author wanted to remind the readers that it is not really supposed to be a serious type of story, like... I don't really know, ze~ I'm just reading it out of this book," she said, holding up the storybook. "We'll just have to see what the readers think, ze~"

"Readers?" the little cat youkai, Chen, questioned. "I've heard of Yukari-sama talking about these 'readers' from 'the fourth wall', did you mean those 'readers', Marisa-san?"

"Marisa-san! Why was Mei Ling's Mama sa-"

"MARISA!" shouted the Hakurei shrine maiden. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY SHRINE AGAIN WITH THEM!? OH GREAT, JUST GREAT, NOW CHEN'S WITH THEM TOO?"

"Oh, I was just telling them another story, ze~" replied the witch.

The red-white shrine maiden gently pressed her palm against her face and shook her head. She walked towards the witch and grabbed the book from her hands and began reading.

"This... this is just plain plagiarism..."


End file.
